Paradox
by SliceOfLife
Summary: A fresh FBI agent. A seasoned lawful protector. He was an enigma in everyway, but he was not her problem. Not when she had bigger fish to fry. So when she hits a snag in her current case, she is surprised such a genius would offer his assistance. She learns that he would perhaps be better described as a paradox. One she wish she had never become involved with. ItachixSakura. AU.


Dedicated to my lovely supporter, OfPaintAndOil. Whose writing fuels the madness. Whose words of support fuel the fire. For that, I thank you.

-xxx-

" _I knew."_

" _You knew what, Agent Haruno?"_

" _I knew, the first time I laid my eyes upon you, that you would be trouble."_

-xxx-

Paradox

The amount of people that came in and out of the bureau in the span of one day, was insane. There were agents, lawyers, police officers, government officials, convicted criminals, witnesses, and many more. The listed just began to break the surface of the ice. The task of learning, and retaining memory of, every name of each regular person at the bureau was daunting in itself. The actual chance of completing that task was slim to none. As a regular, there were some tricks that you needed to learn to keep afloat in the sea of people. The most important one being nicknames. The more generic the better.

" _Agent_ , the chief wants you in the briefing room."

"Thanks for making those copies for me, _bud_."

"Of course, _sir_. Let me help you with that."

And the personal favorite…

"Hey, _you_! How've you been?"

It was hard when the faces of everyone around you seemed to blur together into one similar person, especially when you're so wrapped up in your own cubicle that you hardly make it out of the office during normal hours when the brunt of the people are at maximum collection. It was even worse when the mass of people clustered around seemed to remember your own name just fine. But this was typical for agents, especially ones relatively new to the field.

Sakura always seemed to arrive a little earlier and leave a little later than the rest. She told herself it wasn't to avoid the many, nameless, people that littered the outer offices. Of course not. That would be rude. She did so, because she wanted to keep up with her work. And that was the reason she would stick to like glue if anyone ever questioned her.

She knew why it was so easy for others to recognize her amongst others. Pink hair individual to herself was hard to come by, especially in such a high ranked standing. One of the men in fancy suits at her initial interview for her position even had the audacity to question its genetic authenticity to her face. To which she sweetly responded with a question of her own, which she should have filtered before it escaped her lips during such a _life changing interview_.

"That would be the same as questioning whether or not your own hair was real, sir, which would be very rude indeed."

The man in question, with the very evident hairpiece, simmered red with embarrassment at her comment, and she had thought the interview to be done right then and there. But the chuckle from one of the other men was enough to shock her into frozen silence.

"A woman as fearless as this one is exactly what we need at the bureau."

If she would have known her unfiltered mouth would have gotten her such an amazing job, she would have released the filter long ago. Which lead to another defining factor to her person among the work place. If she was not remembered by her vivacious hair color, which was very rare, she would be known for her sharp tongue and hot temper. It happened more than not, that when someone came looking for her from another department, her fellow agents would direct them to 'the woman cursing like a sailor'.

She should not be proud of that fact of her personality, but she found that those who doubted her integrity for her work by the simple color of her hair would be sadly mistaken when she would speak words with such sharp ends, it would allow her onlookers to never question the integrity of Sakura Haruno ever again.

There were people all over the office that were known for their specifics just as she was. Naruto Uzumaki, the newest addition to their special agent team, could be tracked by the loud tenor of his voice and the lingering smell of ramen that seemed to trail him wherever he went. Sasuke Uchiha, reclusive intelligence agent, could be followed by the screaming of fangirls that circled his dark aura. Kiba Inuzuka, K-9 unit trainer and terrain specialist, could be tracked in the trail of heartbroken females Sasuke had left behind with his rejections, boosting their egos and practically charming their pants off, typically with his small white dog, Akamaru, in toe.

Each specific to their person. Each memorable with their character. There are just some people you have to remember because your mind will not let you ever forget.

One of those people, was Itachi Uchiha.

Though not a special agent like herself or her partners, he was a frequent around the bureau. He was a reclusive agent who typically worked alone on undercover missions with his assignments. He was a genius in his own rights. A prodigy, like herself, who had joined the bureau at a young age, also like herself, though he was 5 years her senior. He was a member of the coveted Uchiha family, well known in the government data base with their many ties to law enforcement and the bureau itself.

Besides his family name, he had a presence that seemed to always provide tension in a room. He was a well-respected figure of the law, in the eyes of a bureau. A silent hero to the outside world. Though his looks may have passed the line of godlike, his mannerisms were less than approachable. His silent and determined nature made most steer clear of his path. But one day, he seemed to steer right into her own.

"Agent Haruno. I require a moment of your time." The smooth baritone of his voice was more pleasant than she was expecting as it drew her away from the papers strewed across the plane of her cluttered desk. His form was tall, and built enough to compliment his height without being too much. His long dark mane was held back at the nape of his pale neck, cascading down the crisp material of his white dress shirt. She noted, amusingly enough, that he was even wearing a thin black tie. He took professionalism quite seriously around the office, as Sasuke had once told her when speaking of his elder brother. His badge was clipped to his belt, not far from his gun that was tucked away in its proper holster.

"Agent Uchiha," Sakura greeted as she stretched out her stiff neck, bringing a hand to rub against the straining muscles. Staring down at her desk most of her days provided weekly attendance at her local chiropractic office. "I'm afraid now is not a good time. We just received a break in our most recent case and we need all hands on deck, my own included. Can we do this another time?"

"I'm afraid not. Come with me." He did not give her a chance to object as he turned away from her desk and made his way away from the special agent desk bay. It was probably smart of him to walk away immediately after his demand. Just standing there would most likely provoked her now even more foul temperament.

She pushed her moving chair away from her desk harshly as a huff of annoyance escaped her pale pink lips. She didn't think this man had ever spoken more than two words to her, and now he was demanding a moment of her time, for god knows what. He had some nerve. The true inconvenience of his timing would show him what a 16 hour work day, running on little sleep, and only three cups of black coffee, did to Special Agent Sakura Haruno.

He had led them to an open conference room, opening the door and allowing her entry before he closed it behind them. "Make this quick, _Uchiha_. I don't have time for this kind of _bull shit_ at the moment."

"Nor do I have time for your own, Agent Haruno, so I shall put it plainly for you. Your most recent case movements involving Kabuto Yakushi nearly ruined a 2 year undercover investigation I had been charged with. Though you may not have realized it yet, your line of work requires you to think before you act. Your brash movements could have had countless killed when you barged into that meth lab a few days ago."

He was _ridiculing_ her for catching an amazing _lead_? On a case that was the _pinnacle_ of her career? This man was either blatantly stupid or he had a death sentence attempting to condescend her with his tone. Respectable secret hero to the people or not, this man was an ass. Respectable senior _agent_ or not, he was a complete and total _ass_.

"Though you may not be aware of this due to your _extreme_ antisocial tendencies and complete _lack_ of common spatial awareness, I am one of the lead agents on the Yakushi case. Therefore, whatever other cases that may fall under that same category, then fall under _my_ jurisdiction. Perhaps, if you had any common sense to look out of your own _ass_ , you would have known where your case fell in the line of duty and the fact that it was _thoroughly_ studied by myself and my highly capable team of agents."

"You, or any other agents involved in your operation, were never in any harm from the moves I choose to make with the Yakushi case. Now," she paused as she fought the urge to grind her teeth out of pure rage while looking into the dark eyes of Itachi Uchiha, "If you'll excuse me, I have more pressing matters than _this_ that require my attention. If you have anything else so trivial that you need to speak with me about, please set up an appointment with our unit secretary."

She turned to leave, the intention of not sparing the man another glance clear in her mind, but she swore, _she swore_ , she heard a soft chuckle brush past his lips to fill the air of the room. It was hardly audible with the commotion going about in the halls and rooms around them, but she knew she had heard something. The sound was enough to stop her dead in her tracks.

Did Itachi Uchiha just _laugh_? At _her_?

This man was just proving all the rumors false, and as he did so, he continued to dig his own grave, giving Sakura enough incentive to bury him within it.

"Very well, Agent Haruno," the voice of her partner's brother spoke up through the silence. "The next time we speak will be on a planned arrangement."

He spoke nothing more as he brushed past her to exit the conference room. She found herself leaning against the table that was placed in the middle of the room while her hand found its way through her hair. Her fingers intertwined with her bubblegum locks as her palm pressed against her forehead.

She could feel a headache coming on. And she was sure that Itachi Uchiha was to blame for it.

-xxx-

The Yakushi case had hit a snag. Their leads were coming up dry and the place they had started finding their leads was looking just as parched. The team was unsure in which ways to pursue from their current standing. Kabuto Yakushi, the man that they had been tracking for months, had flown off the grid, taking his tracks with him. He was a careful man. Precise and accurate in each of his intentions, which made him all the more difficult to track down. He had left a trail of murder in his path. His victims, all women between the ages of 20 and 30. They were pretty. Young. Still delving into the joys of life. Until they ran across Kabuto's path.

The man had used them for his scientific experiments which either killed them, or lead to Kabuto's dissatisfaction before he killed them by his own hand. Each death more brutal than the next. Each death meaningless. Each death tragic.

The sadistic man had developed a pattern. A fact that she had discovered just two weeks into the case investigation. He had medical background, graduating from one of Konoha's most elite universities just a few years prior. He collected a degree in biomedical sciences, which explained the need to experiment on each of his victims. He would induce them late at night using chloroform to knock them out, purposely leaving the chemically soaked rag behind. It was his calling card. Then the abducted girl would remain missing for 72 hour, leaving absolutely no trail to her possible location. Then, on the 73rd hour, her body would be discovered with precise and specific cutting.

Some women would have cravings through their chest, while others would procure them in their abdomen. Most recently, he had begun to fixate on the throat, sending back his victims with what could hardly be considered a neck at all. She guessed he would soon turn to their heads.

It was almost as if these women were being used as his medical practice cadavers as he tested theories and methods of science before quelling the specific curiosity, then moving to quench the next.

The pictures developed from the crime scene, as well as the morgue, littered the top of her desk. Some of the pictures proved to be too gruesome for some who passed by her cubicle. She let out a frustrated sigh as she plucked away her most recent notes, skimming through to see if she had missed any miniscule details. The shrill ring of her desk phone interrupted her thoughts as she stretched over to answer it.

"This is Haruno."

" _Sakura, you have an…_ appointment _waiting for you in the lobby,"_ she heard Ino's voice inform from the other end of the line. She noted the apprehension when she used the word appointment. It was already odd though, even before Ino's tone.

No one ever made an appointment with her. Typically she was just attacked at her desk by defense attorneys and agents alike, demanding her current free time. Which she never had any of.

"And who is this appointment I have with?"

" _He would prefer that you just meet him in the lobby."_

It was unlike Ino to be so short with her. The woman loved to talk just as much as she loved her cranberry vodkas at the bar. And damn did she love those cranberry vodkas. Whomever it was certainly intimidated the blonde extrovert.

"I'll be right up," Sakura grumbled from her end before ending the call. Smoothing out the wrinkled sitting lines of her grey pencil skirt, she stepped down towards the bureau's front lobby. Her heels clicked along the freshly cleaned tiled floor as she walked. As Ino's platinum blonde hair came into view, she took note of the darkly dressed man waiting before her desk. Sakura's steps slowed as she recognized the government figure.

What in the hell did Itachi Uchiha want now?

"Agent Uchiha," Sakura greeted plainly, not to give away her curiosity or displeasure towards the situation. "Can I help you with something?"

"You requested that I make an appointment before speaking to you again," his velvet baritone stated as it passed through his lips.

"I seem to recall making that statement," the female agent replied, with her undertone of apprehension. What was this man doing?

"I have followed your instructions which brings us to the current moment in time."

"So you wish to speak to me about something?" Sakura inquired as she rose an inquisitor brow in the brother of her partner's direction. This man was an enigma all his own. One minute, she thought she had him pegged. The next, he was running in the opposite direction of her initial instinct. His skills of evasion were above par, but she was hung up on the idea of whether or not it was in a positive light.

"Indeed. Come with me." And just like the last time, he left with the intention hanging in the air for her to follow him. With a roll of annoyance tumbling through her viridian orbs, she reluctantly followed behind the elder Uchiha agent, inwardly hoping that he wouldn't make regular of these visits.

He led them into a similar empty conference room to their least meeting, allowing her entrance before he shut the door behind him. "Please, have a seat, Agent Haruno."

"I'm afraid my schedule does not dictate enough time for this to be a casual meeting, Agent Uchiha."

"I'm afraid your secretary dictates otherwise, Agent Haruno," the stoic Uchiha retorted back. She was sure that she saw flecks of amusement brief through his dark eyes before the change disappeared back into his emotionless mask.

"You inquired about my _schedule_? With my _secretary_?" Her tone was attempting to remain level, but this man seemed to ignite immediate frustration through her veins with his utter arrogance. "And pray tell, why, exactly, would this information be important to you, Agent Uchiha?"

"You are a busy woman, Agent Haruno, and a difficult one to capture when you're do enraptured with you work. Scheduling something seemed to be the only way to speak with you, and to follow the protocol you left me with after our last meeting." His words made the most mundane sound elegant. But she would not be swayed by decadent tones that covered invasion of her privacy.

"Do not _bait_ me, Agent Uchiha, for my patience has already worn thin," Sakura replied as she took a firm tone. "Why is it that you wanted to meet with me in the first place?"

"Baiting you was not my intention, Agent Haruno. I have simply asked you hear because initially, I underestimated you. I do not intended to make such a mistake again. In order to do so, I have collected all of my own intel on the Yakushi case, gathered with your own." The revelation towards the situation seemed to shock the pink haired agent. If the rumors of Itachi Uchiha were true, he did not make mistakes. But here he was, openly admitting to underestimating her. Though his apology was hidden by the decadence of his tone and word choice, she could still read between the lines. He would continue to surprise her through and through.

"Though I…appreciate that you no longer find me incapable, I fail to see the point of bringing my case files that I have, no doubt, poured my entire soul into over the past month. What do you hope to gain from this?"

He seemed to mull over her inquisition momentarily before his dark eyes directly met her own green ones. "This is not for my gain, Agent Haruno. It is for your own."

The emotions in her which seemed to have briefly settled, now ticked at the edge of her psyche once more. "And what do _I_ hope to gain from this, Agent Uchiha?"

Though she may not bet the validity of her next thought with her next paycheck, she was sure that Itachi's lips tilted into a handsome little smirk.

"A new perspective."

-xxx-

She would thank Itachi eventually. Really, she would. For his idea of new perspective was exactly what the Yakushi case required to lead to new information, even if it was minuscule. She found that Itachi Uchiha, though still every definition of an enigma, was incomparably brilliant in his line of work. Though she had researched his own cases and their relation to her own case, she did not think to delve deeper into the inner workings of his cases. He had collected amazing amounts of extensive research on Kabuto as well as those whom he associated with. With Itachi's help, she found that Kabuto had elusive connections to the famed Sound drug lord, Orochimaru.

Though that piece of information should have been thrilling to receive, it only came with more headaches as the FBI further delved into a large can of worms. Orochimaru was as elusive as they came in the criminal word. No matter how many crimes he committed, his trail would be invisible and his movements impossible to track. Now knowing that Kabuto was in leagues with the man, it made her determination level rise. Collecting Kabuto would be one step closer to collecting Orochimaru.

She didn't want to, but she thought of each of these criminals as a trophy. It was a sick way of thinking, as serial killers thought of their victims in the same way. Keeping part of their crime, such as a lock of hair, piece of clothing, or vial of blood, within reach at all times. It was meant to remind them of what they accomplished, though Sakura thought of her trophies in a different way.

Each criminal she helped put behind bars, was a trophy. The prison in which they would rot away in, would be their trophy self. And she would never forget them. She would not deny that she had collected some smaller trophies, such as her first case as a licensed FBI agent. But Orochimaru, even Kabuto, would leave a satisfaction within her that would exceed all expectation. It was a goal she would strive to achieve.

Looking down at the watch on her left wrist, she noted that she was going to be late to her appointment if she didn't hurry. She wouldn't necessarily call it an appointment if anyone asked. It became a regularity to meet with Agent Uchiha once, if not twice, a week to go over case findings for the Yakushi case. He even had the gall to go to Ino and have himself _penciled in_ to her calendar _every_ Wednesday at 2pm for the next two months. She was hoping the case would not take so long while he insisted that is was, in case it did, she would not be busy with other matters.

How typically controlling of him.

So they continued to meet every Wednesday, and almost every Thursday, marking 3 weeks since Itachi initially brought up the idea. With Sakura being one of the main agents in charge of Kabuto's specific case, and Itachi being in charge of the undercover missions that directly or indirectly involved the same run in of people, they decided that sharing and comparing information was in their best interest. Sakura specifically felt as though he was testing her abilities each time they met. Though he stated that he had initially underestimated her, he seemed to have the knack of pushing her past what she thought her limits were.

Sasuke was certainly curious as to why she was meeting with his brother so often. He was especially nosy when it came to matters involving his brother. One would think, with them being family, they would know almost all there was to know about one another. Then she recalled that both the Uchiha brothers had slight emotional constipation and she no longer entertained the previous idea.

Clutching her updated filed in one arm, she balanced two cups of coffee, black, in each hand as she made her way to their usual conference room. Being particularly tired on this Wednesday, she had made a stop to the break room for a fresh cup of caffeine. Noting that the pot was almost empty, she poured the remains into another cup. Of course, she would always bring a cup for one of her friends working in the office without them asking. She didn't know if she considered Itachi a friend, but she decided it was wasted thought space in her brain as she finally came to a decision. Itachi, being the straight-laced no nonsense man that he was, would probably drink black coffee. Cream and sugar were just wasted space for more coffee and unnecessary calories. So she grabbed him one as well.

She entered the conference room, noting that Itachi was already seated, glancing over some of his own files. She placed the steaming cup in front of him before sitting down in her own chair next to him, placing her own cup and files down. The gesture seemed to bring him from his work as he glanced at her through dark lashes. He was asking her a question without words.

"I was in desperate need of a pick-me-up. And after the week I hear you've had, I figured you'd need one as well," she mused simply as she arranged her files on the table before her, not glancing up to meet Itachi, all though her curiosity wanted to see his current expression.

The room was silent except for the rustling of her papers before he spoke. "The gesture is greatly appreciated, Agent Haruno." His tone seemed sincere as he used it. Not as cold as the one he normally donned in the workplace. She shot him a small smile before diving into her work.

As she rattled off facts, intel, and new leads, she failed to notice the Uchiha whose eyes still remained on her person. He watched her delicate fingers as they grasped new papers and took to tucking away stray pieces of her bright colored hair. He watched her throat swallow when she took a breath in speaking or consumed a sip of her coffee. He watched the strain of the crisp white fabric of her dress shirt as it flushed against her curves. His favorite thing to watch though, was her lips as she made legal jargon sound eloquent and professional.

"Agent Uchiha?" the call broke him from his musing, dilating up to meet her clear emerald orbs. He changed his mind. Her eyes seemed to hold even more fascination within him. Especially when they were directed at his person. "Anything to add?"

"No. Please continue."

This time, he was sure to listen to the information she supplied. It was true that she was young, but her quick wit and determination propelled her far through her work, and far above her counterparts. Her leads and facts were well thought out, while the intel was fluently explained. She came to a pause in her musings as she uttered one simple question.

"Why do people kill?" Her tone was genuinely honest. She wanted to know. But the undertone was tired. She was exhausted by what people of this world did. She needed something that would push her into overdrive. All the agents did.

"A question not so easily answered, Agent Haruno," the eldest Uchiha brother replied. "It could be same as questioning why you do what you do. Why do we drink water? Why do we consume food? Why do we so earnestly seek companionship?"

His questions seemed to strike a chord within her as she rose a brow in his direction, but he could see the slight shock his questions created within her. "There is a need, Agent Haruno."

"You associate the same need for water as the same need for killing, Agent Uchiha, though I don't believe they even remotely exist among the same level as one another."

"Don't they, though?" he questioned briefly, watching the emotion express through her pools of viridian.

"Not everyone has a need to _kill_ ," Sakura countered, showing that his words were starting to push her temper.

"Though that could be debated, humans have needs for things that are not always so innocent. Why do humans steal? Why do humans deceive? Why do humans partake in narcotics?" The questions rang through the empty air of the concealed conference room. Their rhetoric sense being understood with the pink haired agent as she allowed him to continue. "There is a carnal _need_ that calls to them. Humans are flawed creatures, Agent Haruno. No matter how much we try and change the world, that need will not subside through human consciousness. It will continue through each generation as it taints them."

"So what are you saying?" Sakura's voice snapped at the darkening mood Itachi was casting over the room. "That no matter what we do, our work is going to waste?"

Itachi did not answer her question. Instead, he posed his own. "What is your defining need, Agent Haruno?"

"I want to make the world a better, safer, place."

That comment seemed to strike a different core in the Uchiha as he brushed some of his dark bangs from his eyes. It was an innocence he did not think possible of the world anymore. This woman was in a career showing the harshness of all reality and human nature, and she still wanted to change it all.

"What is your defining need, Agent Uchiha?"

His dark eyes seemed to stare right now to the depths of her soul. As his smooth baritone filled her ears. "I'm afraid you'll have to ask me another day, Agent Haruno."

-xxx-

As the next Wednesday rolled around, Sakura arrived at the usual conference room, ready to drill Itachi about his cryptic messages from the week before. They had not sit well with her over the past week. It seemed that the eldest Uchiha sibling had quite the dark outlook on life, but after all he had seen, she didn't know if she could blame him. Checking her watch, she noticed it was just 5 minutes passed 2, but she found that it was odd for someone like Itachi to be late. She decided to pass the time by rereading her case files, for the hundredth time. Once she made it through the file, correcting a few spelling mistakes she had made carelessly through the late hours of the previous night, she glanced at her watch once more, noting that it was now 2:30pm. Now she knew something was up.

Pulling out her phone from her pocket, she dialed a number.

" _Agent Uchiha,"_ the voice on the other line answered, though it wasn't the one she was looking for.

"Sasuke, its Sakura. Do you have any idea where your brother is currently? We had an appointment half an hour ago and he has yet to show."

" _Hn. It's not like him to be so careless with his time."_

"Obviously, since I'm calling you. Do you know where he is?"

" _I haven't seen him today,"_ the younger brother replied from the other line.

His short and unhelpful answers were starting to try her patience. "Well do you have any idea where he is _currently_?"

" _Hn."_

"I take your rudimentary sound as a no," she replied with a frustrated huff at her partner's difficult behavior. "If you see him, tell him he's on my shit list for time wasted."

" _Hn."_

The called ended and Sakura began to collect her files, deciding that enough of her time had been wasted and she could find more productive uses for herself in the meantime. Berating Itachi would have to come later. As she passed through the halls back to her own desk, she recognized one of the agents that was familiar in Itachi's office.

"Hey!" she called out, successfully grabbing the man's attention. "Have you seen Agent Uchiha today? We were supposed to have a meeting a half hour ago."

"Agent Uchiha has not shown up for work today, and we have been unable to reach him." The man's tone did not seem that worried as he spoke. Most likely because it was Itachi Uchiha, who was more than capable of taking care of himself. She gave the man a short thanks before heading back to her desk. Though she was sure Sasuke's brother was fine, she couldn't help the sinking feeling that settled in her stomach.

-xxx-

She was going to be one of the last ones out of the office today, but this was a fact she was more than used to. In fact, she came to accept it after her first few months working with the bureau. Sasuke had just left, only ten minutes before she intended to, warning her that staying so late was going to affect her sleep schedule. She waved him off with a joke that she would still be prettier than him in the morning, to which he replied with a smirk before his departure. She scrapped her keys from her desk, and picked up a file that she had to run over to Asuma at the police station. It was convenient that the station was just next door.

She draped her light weight trench coat over her arm as she made her way to the station. She was greeted with a few familiar faces as she walked in the door. Genma, the newly appointed assistant police chief, shot her a wink as he twirled a familiar toothpick between his teeth.

"Good evening, Genma. Is Asuma still here?" she asked as she reached Genma's desk.

"Nah, he left about an hour ago. You're here awfully late, Agent Haruno. Don't tell me those mean old agents are taking advantage of your young energy." His tone was playful, which was something she appreciated about the charismatic officer. He was a nice change of pace from the run of the mill bores she usually had to deal with. It helped that he was easy on the eyes.

"As if I would let them," she shot back with a small curl of her lips. She passed the folder in his direction, watching as he grasped it and sorted through its contents. "I meant to bring it to him earlier, but I got caught up. Can you make sure he gets it tomorrow? It's more basics about the Yakushi case that he requested."

"Sure thing, doll," he shot back with a slight tilt to his own lips. The crackle of the police radio sounded behind him. He gave her an apologetic smile as he listened to the requests. She gave a quiet wave as she made her way towards the doors. She had an important date with her bed tonight, and she had every intention of keeping it.

" _Domestic disturbance reported at 9827 S. Vermillion Lane. Requesting backup."_

Her steps halted. Why did that address sound so familiar?

She paused and looked back at Genma, who seemed to notice her suspension. He ran the address through his system, and his eyes stared at the result it pulled. Her eyes asked for an answer as turned back to meet hers.

"The Uchiha estate."

Her eyes widened as slight panic flooded her veins. That was Sasuke's house. She bolted out the door, throwing her belongings into the back of her car as she sped from the parking lot. She had only ever been to Sasuke's house twice, once to pick him up for work while his car was in the shop, and the second time to drop off some case files he requested to work on at home. Sakura knew that Sasuke's family resided in the large mansion like estate as well. As such a high profile family, it was tradition. Knowing that there was a disturbance at such a big name home, put her on high alert.

She sped through what little traffic the streets held at this hour as she made her way to her partner's house. She was sure she was overreacting, but she would rather follow by the famed saying; rather be safe than sorry. She tried calling Sasuke's phone, but he didn't answer.

She pulled up into their crescent moon shaped driveway, parking behind a car she was familiar with. Sasuke was here. She grabbed her spare gun from her glovebox and strapped it to the awaiting holster at her belt. She moved up to the entrance. It was so quiet. Not even crickets were playing outside the house in the many bushes that garnished the elegant landscaping. Sakura moved up the front steps, intending to knock on the door, only when she realized it was slightly ajar. Pushing it the short distance it required to be opened fully, she stepped through the threshold.

"Hello?" she called out into the dark foyer that greeted her entry. Her kitten heels clicked against the polished marble floors, the only light seeming to assist her path was what the moon provided through the large bay windows that filter around the house.

"Sasuke?" Her voice called out once more, but was met once again by silence.

It was odd. Not only did Sasuke and his family inhabit the estate, but they were known to have countless maids and butler that filtered through the halls. They had always greeted her, even as she just remained pulled up in the driveway waiting for Sasuke to emerge from the large home. Now, none of them were in sight.

Something wasn't right. She felt like her heart was lodged in her throat as she began her sweep of the property. Flanking off the side of the foyer, she glanced into the next room which seemed to be an elegant sitting area. The moonlight helped to lead her path, but the room was still incredibly dark. Her hand felt around the wall to her left, trailing for a light switch. Finally locating the plastic switch amongst the wall, she flicked it, allowing soft florescent light to flood the space.

But she was not prepared for what her eyes were met with.

Sprawled across the floor was a maid covered in splatters of her own blood, what appeared to be a knife wound slicing through her abdomen. She let out a choked sound of disbelief before running to the fallen woman's side. Her pale fingers pressed against the maid's neck, searching for a pulse. After a few seconds with no rhythm, she decided to check her wrist as well. After checking to other point with no luck, she was sure that the woman before her was dead. The blood that pooled from her wound was still flowing from the laceration. It meant that she had not been dead for long. Perhaps just under 10 minutes.

This woman was dead. Brutally murdered. In her partner's house. What the _hell_ was going on?

A female scream drew her attention to the second floor. Her head whipped in the direction of the sound before her body moved on its own accord. Her protective instincts were flooding her system, possibility of danger blocking out of her mind as she ran. Someone was in trouble. Someone could _die_. Her legs propelled her as quickly as they could up the grand staircase that lead to a large hallway. She pulled her gun from the holster, cocking it back and flipping the safety switch off. She checked the first couple rooms she could find, noting that they were either empty or occupied by a fresh death that littered the floor. She checked all of their bodies for pulses, but she received nothing in return. The body count was now at 5, and at this rate, it would still be rising.

She didn't want to call out for the scream she had heard. It would draw attention to her and if she was taken down, there would be no help for anyone left in the house. Making her way to the next room, she noted it was a grand master bedroom, presumably belonging to Sasuke's parents. Her eyes scanned the room, stopping at the body of a man on the floor. She ran to him, but found, that like the rest, his pulse was nonexistent. Taking in the sight of his face, she felt a pang of recognition hit her heart.

The man was Sasuke's father. Fugaku Uchiha. She had only met him once, briefly in passing at the bureau, but he was a man with great power amongst the law. Now he was no longer breathing. A man slaughtered across his bedroom floor. But if he was here…

Where was his wife?

Her emerald eyes shot around the room. Her legs took her around the premise, but found nothing. Until she reached the mast bathroom. Mikoto Uchiha was struggling to regulate her breathing, but she was still alive for now. The first one she had found in such a position.

"Mrs. Uchiha," Sakura breathed as she swooped down to the injured woman's form, cradling her head as she leaned some of her weight against her stronger body. "You're going to be okay. Can you tell me what happened? Who did this to you?"

She noted that the Uchiha mother was sporting several stab wounds across her body. Some were minor, where as some were deep inset wounds that were posing as an escape route for large contents of her own blood. Her breaths were laborious to the point of being painful as she tried to suck in whatever remains of air she could.

"H-he….I…he…" Her voice was so weak as she stuttered over the barely comparable words that tumbled from her lips. Her blood soaked fingers reached towards her, their trembling obvious to the naked eye. Sakura moved to take the limb, showing her support as the woman tried to vocalize further. She said he. The perp was a he. At least it was something to go on.

"Who was it, Mrs. Uchiha?"

The woman, once so beautiful even with the years passed slightly showing on her face, now looked like a completely different person. Her expensive nightgown was soaked with blood, contrasting the flawless pale skin that her sons had surely inherited from her genes. Her long midnight tresses were caked with deep blotches of red and her beautiful onyx eyes seemed to be losing their light with each passing second. The once strong and powerful woman was now dying right before her eyes. This fact made Sakura's heart clench painfully. Who could possibly do this to the Uchiha family?

"I…It-"

"Agent Haruno," a voice called out from the doorway, shocking her attention to whom it came from. She was greeted to the sight of Itachi Uchiha, bright red pigments of blood staining his clothes. His white dress shirt easily showed the stains, but with the lack of light provided, she could not tell how serious his wounds were. She watched as the eldest child turned his attention towards his mother, not seeming too concerned with the fact that she was bleeding out profusely across the marble floors of the bathroom.

"Mother. You're still alive."

"I-Itachi…" Mikoto Uchiha's last word was her son's name as the light left her eyes and her breath froze in the depths of her throat. Sakura franticly called out to her, checking her pulse with trembling, blood covered, hands, but receiving a familiar blank reply, just like the rest. She tried to give her CPR, but no matter how many pumps she pressed into the woman's chest, there was no response. Mikoto Uchiha was dead.

Sakura's mind was running rapidly, but all hope of words were frozen in her throat. Sasuke and Itachi's mother was dead. She took her last breath as Sakura held her in her arms, and she couldn't save her. Though she had witnessed her fair share of death being a field agent, this was something that hit her so much harder. This was the mother of two men she knew. A woman she had met a handful of occasions before. A kind hearted woman that would do anything for her two sons. And now she was gone.

She felt the sensation of hot tears collect in the corners of her eyes as she stared down at the lifeless corpse laid out in front of her. Mikoto's blood was staining her hands and had somehow found its way to her shirt, forever engraving the memory into the fabric. Sakura felt the first tear run silently down her cheek, her tight breathing showing her state of rising panic.

"Itachi," her quiet voice called out weakly as her green eyes fixated on the fresh blood coating her hands. The blood taunted her with the fact that she had failed to save his mother. "I'm…I'm so…sorry. I…I…"

She didn't register his silent approach as the thick red coating across her skin continued to consume her attention. Her breaths began to weigh more heavily through the air as her tears continued to trickle across her cheeks. Itachi crouched silently next to Sakura's kneeling form, reaching out slowly to cover her bloodstained hands with his own. The movement succeeded in capturing her attention as her teary emerald eyes turned to his unwavering charcoal.

"Why are you here, Agent Haruno?"

"I…t-there was a call…at the police station," she began to explain, stumbling over the details. "They…it was at your address. I… I came as fast as I could. But Itachi, there are so many people…d-dead. I've seen five…and then your parents…" She trailed off as another choked sob left her lips and her hands clenched into tiny fists in Itachi's gentle hold. "I'm sorry. I couldn't…I couldn't save them."

"Nor did I expect you to be able to, Agent Haruno." The tone he used was so mellow. So unaffected. The same aloof tone he always used. Did this man really have no expressive emotion within him?

"W-what do you mean?"

"They were stabbed several times in quite vital areas," he explained briefly as his eyes flickered darkly down to his mother's corpse. "The amount of blood pooling around them was enough to prove the fatality of their injuries."

At the mention of blood, Sakura's eyes widened in slight panic as she pulled her hands out of the eldest Uchiha's and pressed them into the blood soaked shirt covering his abdomen. "Are you alright, Itachi?" she questioned frantically as she pressed her hands around his person, prodding for injuries. "There's so much blood. Are you hurt?"

As she continued to feel around the blood contaminated fabric, she was relieved to find no wounds on his person. Not even a scratch. Then where did all the blood come from?

"You were not supposed to be here, Agent Haruno."

She paused her actions at his words, slowly looking up to meet his eyes once more, searching them with a questioning gaze. "But it pleases me that you are," his baritone added as his blood covered fingers reached out to graze the pale skin of her neck, leaving a crimson smear in their wake. His touch fluttered down to the pulse point of her neck, brushing the pad of his thumb across the thrumming of her flesh. Her heartrate spiked as his action commenced and she watched his pupils dilate.

Something wasn't right.

"Where's Sasuke?" Her voice was a low whisper, as if she was apprehensive to hear his answer.

"I have not found him," his voice was pure velvet as it passed through his lips and she watched the edge of his lips quirk slightly as he continued, "Yet."

Her heart thumped into overdrive as her breath took a sharp intake. Realization set through her being.

"So you have figured it out," his voice filled the frozen space around them. Her fingers twitched as she realized she still had them pressed into his chest. Before she could wretch them away, his free hand shot out to collect both of her wrists in his tight grip. "Careful, Agent Haruno. Your cooperation in this moment could save your life."

"You killed them," her voice replied in a low whisper as her eyes stared at her hands instead of his eyes. She couldn't look at his eyes. She couldn't. "You killed them all. You killed your _parents_. They're all _dead_."

"Yes, Agent Haruno." He said it so plainly that she could have laughed at the situation. It was the same tone he would have used to respond to any other question she could have asked him.

'Have you read over these files, Agent Uchiha?'

'Yes, Agent Haruno.'

'Could you get me a copy of these witness statements, Agent Uchiha?'

'Yes, Agent Haruno.'

'Did you kill your family, Agent Uchiha?'

' _Yes, Agent Haruno_.'

There was no remorse in his tone as he used it. This man, the agent who swore an oath to help and protect the people of this world, had gone against his vows and slaughtered countless. And he did so with no penitence.

Could this man even be considered a human being after he took so many innocent lives away?

"And now you're going to kill me," Sakura's voice was a wavering whisper as it escaped her lips, her heartrate pressing faster against the point in her neck as Itachi smoothed his fingers over her skin. It would be so easy for him to choke to air out of her in this moment. He had her in his grasp and she had carelessly disarmed herself of her gun when she had tried to help save his mother. The mother he had just _stabbed repeatedly_ minutes before.

"That was not my intention, Agent Haruno."

She let out a sound that was out of panic and disbelief, though it almost sounded like a breathy laugh. "Then what _is_ your intention? What was your intention when _you killed your entire family and the people of your estate_?!"

The tears resurfaced and poured form her eyes again. For the lives that were taken, for the soul Itachi once had, and for herself. Because Kami knows she always found herself in the worst of situations.

"I have not killed everyone, Agent Haruno."

That statement was enough to shock her. Her emerald eyes flew to his steeled charcoal ones. She wished that she could be strong and demand that no harm come to her friend. That she wouldn't _let_ any harm come to her friend. But her position was precarious in the moment and she was at Itachi's mercy. If he wanted her dead, he could prove so in an instant.

He was Itachi Uchiha. And he was dangerous.

"Please, Itachi. _Please_ don't hurt him."

"You should be more concerned with yourself in this moment than my younger brother, Agent Haruno."

"I don't give a _damn_ what happens to me!"

"Lying does not suit you, Agent Haruno. You fear death, just as everyone else does." He paused as his eyes flashed briefly at the body that littered the ground just a few inched from their own. "Just like she did, when she cowered at my feet before I took her life."

"How can you _say_ that?!" she screamed as she attempted to break free from his tight grip, though it proved as useless as she expected it would. His grip just seemed to tighten further as he pulled her even closer to his body. Her tears continued to fall as her desperation flooded through her words. "She was your _mother_. These people were your _family_! _How could you_?!"

"A need, Agent Haruno."

Her flailing froze in his hold. She felt the tight grip he held around her small wrists as his opposite hand steely held at the back of her neck, pulling her to him. She was so close to him that their entangled limbs were trapped between their closing chests. In her shocked state, she could feel his breathing as it ghosted across her face. At one point, she may have found his hold warm, perhaps even comforting. Now it felt as if liquid nitrogen flowed through his veins. All because of the simple word he uttered.

 _Need._

He had a _need_ to kill his family. A simple need drove him to insatiable blood lust that lead to the slaughter of his family.

"This is not you," she whispered so lowly that he barely registered words. "This is not the man you were meant to be."

"And how do you know what type of man I am supposed to be?" His voice was not angry. It was not sad. It was blank. It was monotone. Like all self-expression had left him.

"You were meant to be so much more than _this_ ," she replied quietly. He felt her tears roll down her face and drip against his hand that held her own against his chest. She was crying again. But this time, it was for him. "You had the ability to do so much good for this world. You _did_ so much good for this world. _Itachi_ ," she paused as her tearful green eyes dare look up into his own once more, "You were not supposed to end up like _this_."

He paused, letting her words sink in as the tears continued to fall from her eyes. "I'm sorry to disappoint you, Agent Haruno. But this is who I am now."

She wanted to say something else. She wanted to call him a liar. But a voice broke their focus as it called down the hall.

"Mother! Father! Itachi!"

It was Sasuke.

She felt something in Itachi shift, though his body did not move. His eyes now looked past her, through the open door that lead to his parent's master bedroom where Sasuke was sure to show up in mere minutes. She had to do something. And fast.

She pushed herself closer to Itachi's body, feeling the heat of his chest pressed so closely against her own. Her forehead pressed against his own in an act that was borderline intimate as she regained his attention and stared deeply into his eyes.

"Please, Itachi. _Please_. This isn't you. Let Sasuke go."

His stare was cold and piercing as he watched her. She felt the grip he held on the back of her neck as he pushed her into him even further. His eyes were speaking, but it was as if it was a langue she wasn't fluent in. There was so much he was saying, yet the room remained silent. In an act of desperation, she did something she never thought she would do.

She kissed him.

She pushed herself far enough to close the distance between them, molding their lips together in an act that crossed the line of intimate. It crossed a line she thought she'd never cross with Itachi Uchiha. But though she had crossed a line, Itachi had also crossed one as he proceed to kiss her in return.

She wanted his lips to be cold and repulsive, but they were invitingly warm as he returned the gesture. The simple contact did not seem to be enough though as he swept his tongue across the seam of her lips in an act that surprised her enough to elicit a shocked gasp, giving him the furthering opportunity she offered. His tongue swept through her mouth, covering every inch as he seemed to suck the life right out of her with his actions. She didn't realize at first, that her tongue had responded to his as they fought dominance. His hand moved down from her neck, caressing her back as it landed at her waist, stealthily tucking under the edge of her top, greeting the bare skin underneath.

He kissed like a drowning man as he dominated her senses, wiping her mind clean of what she had initially been thinking as he only filled her thoughts with himself. Until the sounds of approaching footsteps caught her attention and everything came rushing back to her. It then occurred to her, she was kissing a murderer.

Taking advantage of his distracted person, she pushed forwards roughly, knocking them both backwards, her weight falling on Itachi who easily broke her fall. His temporary distraction removed his grasp from her wrists enough that she quickly sprang from his grasp, running towards the door. She heard him shout after her, assuming that she had only succeeded in putting a few seconds between them and extremely pissing him off. She pulled the bathroom door shut behind her, knowing it would slow him down only an additional second or two before she rounded the corner out of the bedroom and back into the hallway where she almost ran down Sasuke.

She quickly grabbed his hands and pulled him in the direction he had just came, yelling for him to run. He did not argue as the barreled through the hallway. She dared a glance behind and saw Itachi emerging from his parent's bedroom. Mind in a full blown panic, she noticed a door coming up to her right. She sped to her new destination, still not releasing her hold on Sasuke's hand as she pulled him into the room, locking the door behind her. A few seconds later she watched the knob of the door jiggle, knowing Sasuke's brother was on the other side.

"Sasuke, open the door," his brother's muffled voice called out from the other side.

Sasuke did not know what she knew, so the emotions passing through him were as she expected. He was confused as to why Sakura had separated them from his own flesh and blood. He was on edge due to the body count he was sure to have already witnessed as he searched the house. He was shocked to find Sakura in the midst of it all. But what pushed his senses into overdrive was the action Sakura took next.

Her body had been blocking the door, but now she had pushed up to him, hands against his chest. Her face was wet with tears and her hands and clothes were covered in blood. Her emotions were much easier to read than his own, so he could not mistake the fear in her eyes. The emotion was raw and plausible. It filled the air around her as if it was suffocating her.

Placing his hands on her outer arms, he watched as her breaths were flowing heavily from her lips. Her green eyes sparkled with tears as she looked up to meet his gaze. "Don't open the door, Sasuke," she spoke out in a heavy whisper as the resonating sound of knocking filled the room again.

"Sasuke," his brother called from the other side once more.

The youngest Uchiha's eyes wandered to the door before flickering back down to his distressed partner. He moved to question her resistance, but she beat him to it. "I will explain everything to you later, but right now we have to get you out of here."

She grabbed one of his hands and pulled him to the other end of the room where a singular window showed their only means of escape. Yanking the window open and kicking out the impending screen, Sakura observed the route to the first level. It was too dangerous to just jump down, but a tree with a long enough branch in their direction would prove to be useful leverage in their retreat.

"Grab the branch and use it to climb your way down," Sakura directed as she pulled Sasuke towards the window, giving him a friendly shove in the right direction. His eyes still showed clear with his confusion, but now was not the time for details. Now was the time to get her partner to safety before his brother killed him.

Sasuke moved his body through the window, perched on the ledge as he turned to face her. "What about you?"

"I'll be right behind you," she told him as she provided him with a small, but comforting smile. "Once you get down, run to the front of the house. The police will be here any minute if they aren't already."

His face showed need to protest, but she would have none of his stubborn attitude today. " _Go_ , Sasuke." And he did, climbing his way through the tree branches until he neared the ground. He was safe. But as she knew that he was, she heard the burst of the door splitting on the other side of the room and realized, she was not.

Itachi had forced his way through with one of many basic skills agents learn upon entering the FBI. His eyes scanned the expanse of the room, finding no sight of Sasuke before his attention turned to her form perched at the edge of the window. It was a sickening thought, but the color red had never looked so beautiful until she had seen in splattered across his crisp clothes, contrasting the color of his shirt and skin. His eyes even seemed to reflect the passionate color as he gazed at her from across the room. Her pink locks blew wildly in the crisp air of the night as the moon illuminated her emerald orbs still flecked with tears. There were so many things she wished to say to him. So many questions that she still had. But instead, she said nothing as a burst of speed carried her body to the branch and down to the ground.

Once she was safely on her feet, she glanced up to the window. Itachi stood there, covered in the blood of his family members, looking down at her with an emotion she couldn't recognize.

-xxx-

It had been just under the two week mark when the FBI finally released the bodies of Sasuke's family members into his custody for funeral purposes. The expanse of time had been one of the most difficult of Sakura's life, but she knew it could in no way compare to what Sasuke was going through. After the bureau took her and Sasuke's official statements, she told him everything she saw. As the small pink haired agent spoke, she felt her partner shatter around her. The always proud and strong man had shrunk in her grasp and pushed the weight of his world on her as he suffered, shedding tears and briefly losing his grip on reality.

The truth of the tale only became darker as new of Itachi's escape had not only spread through the bureau, but through the public. The Uchiha Massacre was the headline that currently plastered every major newspaper and tabloid, paper and web-based alike. Sakura allowed herself to be questioned by everyone possible in the FBI and any other government units wishing to take her statement, but she made no comment to the press. Though she was a survivor just as much as Sasuke was, it was not her burden to bear or her story to tell. It was Sasuke's, if he ever wished to do so.

As the two week mark since the tragedy passed, Sasuke had remained a permanent resident in Sakura's small apartment. He only seemed to find solace when in her presence. Though there were moments when Sakura felt Sasuke sink into himself, she was glad that he had not been lost completely.

So, days later, when the day of the funeral finally came around, Sakura was a permanent fixture at the young Uchiha's side. She helped with almost all the preparations, including flower arrangements, ceremony procedures, even headstones for each life lost. She had even assisted Sasuke with putting on his tie before they left.

"My mother always did it for me," his voice quietly reached her ears, stunning her with his words. His tone was so low and gravely, like he hadn't spoken in days. Which was almost the truth. "I was never able to do it properly."

Her heart clenched painfully as he spoke of his recently deceased mother. It was the first time he had openly spoke of her outside his official statement. And even though Sakura knew it was killing him inside to speak of her, it was better than keeping everything he once was locked away in a safe made of grief and despair.

She gave him a comforting smile as one of her hands paused in their proceedings to place itself on his face, drawing his attention to her warm expression. "Contrary to popular belief, I am not good at everything. But if I can't even tie a tie, Kakashi should consider finding a partner of higher skill value for you," she joked lighting, her eyes crinkling as her smile widened before continuing her task of tying his stark black tie.

"I would never ask for anyone else," his low voice added. His comment was enough to give her strength for not only herself to get through this day, but for him as well. So the minute the funeral began, she held his hand tightly in her own and she expressed the tears she knew that he could no longer give.

When the proceedings were over, Sakura had stepped away so that those in attendance could give Sasuke their condolences. She walked back to her car along the narrow cement walkway, letting the cool beginning autumn breeze assist in drying the tears from her cheeks. The sound of the leaves rustling through the trees around her was calming as she spared a glance back at the far off view of the funeral of Sasuke's family. Though he was not the last of his family alive, it felt as though he was.

The man he once called his brother, would never be called such again.

As her thoughts consumed her, she failed to notice the presence that had stepped a few paces in front of her to share the path. She did not notice until a hand had grasped her wrist, pulling her away from the path and against the rough bark of a tree. Her breath escaped her lips in a short gasp at her eyes took in the form in front of her.

Her initial reaction was to scream, but he already knew that. So he covered her mouth with his hand and ceased the struggle he knew he body would put up with the covering of his own. With his weight keeping her incapacitated, and his hand covering her shouts for help, she was at his mercy.

"Agent Haruno," his painfully familiar tenor greeted her ears, chilling her to the bone. She felt fear blossom in her heart. An emotion she did not feel too often. "Cease your struggling. I do not have any intention of harming you."

Though he did not release her, or the hand over her mouth, he read the words that her eyes spoke so effortlessly. She did not believe him.

"If I wanted you dead, Agent Haruno, I would have done so already."

She narrowed her eyes at him, still expressing she did not believe him, but her struggles had lessened. She watched as his eyes drifted beyond the tree to the funeral proceeding in the distance behind them. His dark eyes trailed back to meet her own. "I am going to remove my hand from your mouth," he told her lowly. "If you cause a scene, I guarantee you will not be fond of the results."

No response was given, but he saw the small understanding pass through her eyes before he removed his hand. The second he did, a low growl resonated through her throat. " _What?_ You'll _slaughter_ me like you did your family?"

He knew he deserved the prod, and he would accept it. "I believed I had made myself clear the last time we spoke; I have no intention of harming you, Agent Haruno."

"Because I am supposed to trust a man who murdered his family, _his parents_ , for no reason!" Her hiss in return was venomous and low as she spoke. More caution would have been the best route to take for such an instance, but after watching Sasuke suffer since the incident, and surely in the days to come, her rationality went out the figurative window.

"I had a reason-"

" _No!_ " she shot back in a low whisper as she refused to let him finish. "No. You didn't have a reason. That selfish _bull shit_ you spewed a few weeks ago is no reason to _kill_. Especially your own flesh and blood."

His expression stayed blank as he invaded her person space, his toned form forcing her against the tree at her back. He was still exactly as she remembered him. Still poised and elegant. Crisp, clean clothes. Tied off onyx hair at the nape of his neck. The smell of fresh masculinity with a warming spice that was borderline sinful. But it all didn't matter. Not anymore. For there was something, she noted, that was different. His dark eyes that were once as brilliant as the midnight sky, now seemed dull, almost lifeless in comparison to what they once were.

His crimes had affected him whether he knew it or not, and the expression he wore showed that he was human.

"I did not come here to speak of my past transgressions, Agent Haruno. I have come here to warn you."

"About what?" the female agent scoffed. "What more could you possibly have to say to me? Haven't you done enough?"

He had, but he continued.

"I have come to warn you that Kabuto Yakushi will soon strike again." The simple utterance of the name had brought her back to her own reality before all of the dealings with the Uchiha family. There was still a rampant killer on the loose. Though there was so much going on, she could not forget about her other goals. Her main being keeping the innocent safe. Though she could not save them all from Itachi's hand, it provided comfort that she was at least able to save Sasuke. "If you are ready for him, you may catch him this time. He hopes to use this newly publicized news to strike when he believes you to be distracted."

The man's nerve hit her full force. Not Kabuto's. Itachi's.

"How dare you…" she whispered as she could no longer look the man in the eye. She felt his eyes on her, but she could not look up. "How dare you come here, to this place, while the funerals of all the people you _killed_ are taking place, to warn me about another man's intent to kill! The pure audacity that you have to come here as some noble _fucking_ gesture to save more lives is disgusting. Absolutely repulsive. _How fucking dare you_!"

The floodgates had opened.

"How could you do this to him?! Your own fucking _brother_! Do you have any idea what kind of irreversible damage you've done to him?!" Her voice was getting louder and the tears had started to stream once more down her cheeks, but she didn't care. She didn't stop. "You killed your parents who _loved_ you! You killed your aunts, uncles – you killed _children_ , Itachi! What kind of monster can do such a thing?!"

"This is not about the lives of others, Agent Haruno. This is about the bigger picture."

"Fuck you and your bigger picture," Sakura spat back at him, her anger brimming to the edge. "You were once a brilliant agent of the law. You were a man who deserved my respect. You were a man I looked up to!" She paused in her rant as she stared into his eyes, feelings her tears spring new life once again. "Look how far you've fallen!"

His eyes pierced into her soul like the knife he used to kill his mother. They were searing and painful, and she swore she could see the blood from that fateful night reflect in his irises. His mother's blood. She felt one of his hands grip her wrists in a singular hold, just as he had the last time they were forced together. He pulled her wrists over her head, allowing her arms to follow. She felt his body push even closer to hers, molding it against the expanse of the tree bark etching itself into her back. The warm skin of his opposing hand against her back brought realization to just how close this mass murderer was to her.

"I desire more than your respect, _Sakura_ ," he practically purred her name into the shell of her ear. Her name sounded like fire dripping from his lips. She had not registered that his mouth had moved to close to her skin. His warm breath reflected the smell of cinnamon as it created shivers down the length of her spine. "I long for your intelligence. I crave your wit. I demand your passion. I seek your adoration. I want all of you. I _need_ all of you, because I am a selfish man with no boundaries for the sins of this world."

His words screamed danger, but in the same moment, they told her to freeze. They were words she did not think Itachi Uchiha to be capable of. But here he was; spouting them if it were as easy as breathing. As easy as it was to murder his family. This need he kept referring to. It would always be present within him, but it would remain forever changing until each stage was fulfilled.

"You're spewing bull shit, Itachi," she hissed, attempting to defuse the situation that seemed to be arising. "You have no idea what you want. What you _need_. You will never know because you will continue to destroy yourself from the inside out. So let go. _Now_."

He seemed to only be amused by her blatant disregard for his words. Though it was hardly visible, she saw it dance through his dark orbs and pull slightly at the corner of his mouth. "I will," he answered back, his nose trailing across the height of her cheekbone until it graced to tip of her nose. "For now."

Her eyes widened as she felt his breath across his lips. "But realize this, _Agent Haruno_ ; I am not finished with you just yet. I find that I may _never_ be finished with you."

Her fists clenched in his grip. Pointed nails biting into the flesh of her palm. No matter how much she would try and reason with herself over this conversation in the future, she knew he told no lies. Itachi Uchiha followed through with these needs of his, no matter the circumstances.

His breath suddenly felt hotter, closer, against her skin. It was too late when she realized his intentions. His lips were already pressed into hers as he pulled her body to mold against his, like two fitted pieces of an intricate puzzle.

Sakura moved to struggle, but the moment was already over. Itachi's lips were place against her ear once more. "I suggest you keep our meeting to yourself. If you do share, understand that I can always play a hand in my favor."

His tone was rich and even, like a robust merlot. She knew he was serious. But what he was serious of, he left ambiguous. She felt was best not to provoke a starving tiger, so her words remained mute. She felt his lips place a chaste kiss against the peak of her cheekbone before his weight disappeared from atop her. He was gone just as swiftly and surreptitiously as when he arrived.

She knew, no matter how much she hated to admit it; this was not the last she would see of Itachi Uchiha. For he was not yet finished with her.

-xxx-

Four days later, they caught Kabuto Yakushi. They sentenced him to life in prison without parole. The death penalty was even being considered with the severity of his crimes and dangerous set of criminal connections. But the victory gave her no solace. It was hollow. As hollow as the hole Itachi had left in her life and the crater he had left in Sasuke's.

Reports had come in later about a new gang with recent activity. Rumors even stated that Itachi Uchiha was spotted within their ranks. But Itachi was no longer Sakura's focus.

She truly wished she would never see him again unless he was the next criminal she trapped behind bars.

-xxx-

26 pages. 12,000+ words. Like wow. This is one of the longest, if not the longest, one-shot I've ever written. And I really like it. OfPaintAndOil, my dear, I hope you enjoy this. Keep up with your amazing work.

Side note about these one-shots and the actual Let's Play Cops and Robbers story. I don't intend for the stories to correlate perfectly, since the original came about before the prequels. But I think it's super fun to write about these characters in more detail.

Also, I chose the title Paradox because it is defined as a statement that contradicts itself.

Please let me know what you think about this story. If you want to see more with different characters, let me know who. Thank all of your for your support and taking the time to read my work. Stay classy, FF.


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